Searching is Now Front and Centre on Pinterest

Almost everything Pinterest have done to improve the platform over the
past year has been in the name of better search functionality. With the
impending introduction of Lens, Pinterest are on track to become the
most accurate image searching service on the internet, and they want all
their users to know. In the latest update, the search bar has been
moved from the navigation bar to the home page. It only saves users a
single click/tap, but that doesn't diminish the significance of this
move.

In particular, this is aimed at mobile users, who themselves make up 85%
of the searching done on the platform. In previous versions, users had
to go to the navigation tab if they wanted to search for something, but
now the option is right there in front of them the moment they boot up
the app. This brings both text-based searching and image searching (done
using a button with a camera icon) right to the front of the Pinterest
experience.

Lens is still in beta testing, but Pinterest are likely hoping that by
the time it's ready, their searching statistics will be even higher, and
it will be easy to introduce people to it without having to hold their
hands. Pinterest have been gradually reinventing themselves as a web
searching tool for some time now, and Lens is the most significant step
they've taken in that direction. Once it's ready, they need to point a
spotlight at it.

As well as text and image searching, Pinterest are championing 'mood
board' searching as a way of finding things. In many cases, people visit
Pinterest with a rough idea of what they're trying to find, but not
necessarily any specific terms. The mood board option allows users to
select a range of terms applying to what they're after, and gradually
refine the results until they hit the target. Combined with Lens (which
is being improved and expanded all the time), this gives Pinterest a
unique and intuitive approach to searching.

Aside from moving the search bar, Pinterest have also added a
recommendations section which is constantly updating based on pins and
searches made. The updated Pinterest is available now for iOS and the
Android version isn't far behind.